Manchester United Targets Alexander Sørloth as Striker Search Intensifies
Manchester United’s late-window striker hunt has taken a fresh twist, with Alexander Sørloth emerging as a serious option after being offered to the club by intermediaries.
United, who have already pushed hard in this market by landing Carlos Baleba from Brighton for £70million, are scrambling to plug two remaining gaps before Tuesday’s deadline: a backup centre-forward and a left-back to challenge Luke Shaw. Michael Carrick wants cover and competition across the pitch, but the need up front has sharpened in the last 48 hours.
Zirkzee exit opens a hole up front
Joshua Zirkzee is edging towards the exit. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Dutchman has given the green light to a return to Serie A with Fiorentina. The Florence club have gone further than just talks, sending United a loan proposal that includes an option to buy next summer.
United, braced for his departure, have been working through a shortlist. Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic has been sounded out. So has Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is open to a move as he looks to force his way out of Selhurst Park.
Now a different profile has landed on the table.
Sørloth fits the brief
TEAMtalk report that Atlético Madrid striker Sørloth has been “offered” to United, with intermediaries presenting the 6ft 5in Norwegian as a ready-made solution to Carrick’s problem.
The numbers are hard to ignore: 175 goals in 475 senior appearances. A specialist No 9. A classic focal point who can occupy centre-backs, attack crosses and give United a different dimension when games tighten up.
Crucially, Sørloth is seen as someone who “fits the profile” United want alongside Benjamin Šeško. Not a project, not a wide forward repurposed as a striker, but a genuine centre-forward who can both compete with and cover the Slovenian.
The player’s stance helps. Sørloth is understood to be open to leaving Atlético and would “entertain” a return to the Premier League. His first spell in England, with Crystal Palace between January 2018 and September 2020, never really caught fire. Only 20 appearances, broken up by loans to Gent and Trabzonspor, left him with unfinished business in English football.
Old Trafford would offer a very different stage to settle that score.
Atlético’s stance and a crowded striker market
Atlético are prepared to cash in at the right price. Sørloth is under contract until June 2028, so there is no pressure to sell, but the Spanish club want a replacement lined up before they let him go.
They are exploring moves for Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and Juventus forward Jonathan David as potential successors. The dominoes are lined up; they just need someone to push the first piece.
The situation around the Atlético attack is already tense. Barcelona and Arsenal continue to circle another of their forwards, Julián Álvarez. Atlético insist he is not for sale, but Álvarez has publicly confirmed his desire to leave, a stance that has infuriated sections of the club’s support and added more noise around Diego Simeone’s front line.
Amid that turbulence, Sørloth’s future has quietly come into play.
What Atlético would actually demand for the Norway international remains unclear. With time draining from the window, that uncertainty could either kill the move or accelerate it.
United weighing loan versus permanent move
Inside Old Trafford, there is realism about what can be done this late. Speaking on the Talk of the Devils podcast, Laurie Whitwell underlined the financial and strategic leanings.
“Loan is what I have heard in terms of incoming,” he said, hinting that United may prefer temporary solutions rather than committing major fees in the final days.
Andy Mitten echoed the sense that movement is coming, but not yet defined.
“Will we see new players come in? I think it’s increasing, I think it’s a possibility. I don’t know if the player would be signed or loaned. If you lose a striker, United look light up top.”
That is the crux. Lose Zirkzee and United’s attacking options thin out rapidly behind Šeško. A physically dominant, penalty-box striker with a proven scoring record suddenly looks less like a luxury and more like a necessity.
Sørloth has been put in front of them. The fit is clear. The price and the timing are not.
With the deadline closing in and Zirkzee edging towards Florence, United must decide whether the towering Norwegian becomes their late-window gamble or just another name on a growing list of missed opportunities.
